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Knowledge, Information Sources and Attitudes Toward the Covid-19 Pandemic Among African Immigrants in The United States

In the United States of America, there is disproportionality in the COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality with Black people and other minority groups being the most affected. This study explored the COVID-19 related knowledge, information sources, attitudes, and precautionary behaviors among a convenient sample of African immigrants, a subgroup of the Black population. Data from 226 respondents who completed an online survey were analyzed. Most respondents were female (69.9%) and had a bachelor's degrees or higher education or training (74.8%). A higher number of respondents reported utilizing online avenues (social media and websites), government communication, and television as vital sources of pandemic related information compared to traditional media (radio and newspapers). Respondents demonstrated a satisfactory level of knowledge, with no respondent scoring below five (5) on the nine knowledge questions. Most respondents (88.5%) expressed some degree of worry regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and all respondents except two had taken at least one precautionary practice since the pandemic. The least practiced precautionary behaviors among respondents included wearing a face mask in public. Only 37.2% of respondents were certain that they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine if it became available. The rest indicated they were either unsure or would refuse such a vaccine. Findings revealed that while knowledge among respondents was relatively high and accurate, there is a prevailing need for public health education focused on dispelling myths, teaching, and reinforcing risk reduction behaviors. Keywords: COVID-19, Information Sources, Knowledge, African Immigrants, Vaccine
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